Card connectors have been developed which have an ejection mechanism with a “push-push” operation. These connectors are devised so that the operating part (ejection button) does not protrude when a card such as a memory card is inserted into the connector or when no card is inserted into the connector. Rather the ejection button only protrudes when a card that has been inserted into the connector is to be ejected from the connector.
An exemplary card connector 101, shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, which has a push-push ejection mechanism is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-219756. This card connector 101 comprises a contact portion 110, a frame body 120 which guides a card C so that this card can be inserted or removed, a push-push type ejection mechanism 130 which is disposed on the side of the frame body 120 and includes a first push rod 131 and a second push rod 132, a separating lever 140 which pivots as a result of receiving a pressing force from the push rods of the ejection mechanism 130, and a frame 150 which ejects the inserted card C when the separating lever 140 pivots.
Here, the first push rod 131 receives a pressing force from the operator and the second push rod 132 transmits this pressing force to the separating lever 140. The first push rod 131 and second push rod 132 are engaged via an intermediate member 134. The intermediate member 134 is supported on the first rod 131 by a spring 136 so that the intermediate member 134 can pivot between a position in which the member 134 is engaged with the second rod 132 and a position in which this engagement is released. The pivoting of the intermediate member 134 is accomplished by an arrangement in which one end 135 of the spring 136 which is attached to the intermediate member 134 engages with a heart cam groove 137 formed in a cover member 133, and the heart cam groove 137 is caused to perform a cyclic motion accompanying the reciprocating motion of the first rod 131.
However, in the card connector 101 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the card connector 101 as a whole cannot be made compact, because the heart cam structure is employed and the ejection mechanism 130 has a large width.
In an attempt to solve this problem, another exemplary push-push card connector 201, shown in FIGS. 15, 16(A) and 16(B), has been proposed, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-324623.
This card connector 201 comprises a frame 210 which guides a card C so that this card can be inserted or removed, a push-push type ejection mechanism 220 which is disposed on the side of the frame 210 and includes a first push rod 221 and a second push rod 222, and an ejection lever 230 which pivots as a result of receiving a pressing force from the push rods of the ejection mechanism 220, and ejects the inserted card C.
Here, the first push rod 221 receives a pressing force from the operator, and the second push rod 222 transmits this pressing force to the ejection lever 230. A cam member 250 which engages with a guide groove 241 formed in a guide plate 240 is disposed on the tip end of the first push rod 221 that faces the second push rod 222, and the first push rod 221 and second push rod 222 are connected via the cam member 250 during the ejection of the card C.
Thus, since the push rods which drive the ejection lever 230 that is used to eject the card C are actuated via a cam member 250, and since the guide plate 240 which has the guide groove 241 with which the cam member 250 engages is formed in the form of a plate, the width dimension of the card connector 201 can be reduced, so that the card connector 201 as a whole can be made compact.
However, a high degree of precision is required in the forming of the cam member 250. Thus, the manufacture of the cam member 250 is difficult. Furthermore, in the attachment of the cam member 250 to the card connector 201, a spring member 253 must be attached to a hook 251 on the cam member 250, and an engaging part 252 on the cam member 250 must be engaged with the guide groove 241 from the inside of the guide plate 240, so that the assembly of the cam member 250 with the card connector 201 is also difficult.